finger-stretch-words

name	finger-stretch-words
description	Create hand-tracked Remotion word animations that stretch between fingertips or body points. Use for beats like ON-SCREEN ANIMATIONS, WOW, or other words that should physically respond to a gesture.

Finger-Stretch Words

Use this skill to attach big typography to hand movement.

Source Of Truth

Day 5's final reference config is:

.context/day_05_finger_stretch/day_05_finger_stretch_preview_timing_5f_onscreen_25p_faster_wow_hold5f_wow_ul_bigger_start_lower.json

The implementation lives in:

captioner/src/WorkflowOverlays.jsx

Look for FingerStretchWordsOverlay.

Workflow

1. Pick the exact spoken beat and use a short render window around it.
2. Track the relevant fingertips or body points.
3. Convert the tracked points into pointKeyframes.
4. Add a finger_stretch_words overlay to the caption config.
5. Render stills at the first frame, midpoint, tilt, and exit before rendering the full video.

Minimal Config Shape

{
  "type": "finger_stretch_words",
  "start": 18.23,
  "end": 21.05,
  "words": ["ON-SCREEN", "ANIMATIONS"],
  "fontFamily": "Manrope",
  "fontWeight": 900,
  "textColor": "#ffffff",
  "accentColor": "#ff6f61",
  "centerOffsetX": 0,
  "centerOffsetY": -60,
  "visualPullEnd": 0.72,
  "tiltStart": 0.58,
  "tiltDegrees": -8,
  "pointKeyframes": []
}

Fill pointKeyframes from tracking output or copy from the reference config when working on the same footage.

Timing Rules

• The text should disappear before the scene transition starts.
• If the tilt feels late, move tiltStart earlier; do not shorten the whole overlay unless the cut demands it.
• Leave around 0.2 seconds after the peak pose so the viewer can register the animation.
• Avoid overlapping regular captions with the stretched words.

Taste Rules

• Use this sparingly. It is a wow beat, not a default caption style.
• Big words should be readable without a hard meme outline.
• Prefer soft diffuse shadow/glow over blocky one-direction shadows.
• Do not cover the face unless the gesture clearly justifies it.

QA

Render a short window only:

node captioner/render-captioned.mjs \
  --config .context/day_05_finger_stretch/day_05_finger_stretch_preview_timing_5f_onscreen_25p_faster_wow_hold5f_wow_ul_bigger_start_lower.json \
  --frame-range 540:660

Check that the words track the hands, do not jitter, and exit before the next visual transition.